and non-digital data (e.g. paper or film
products), as well as an upgrade path to
accommodate data holdings that are
migrated from non-digital to digital form;
- interface and translation services to
export retrieved data sets to users'
applications;
= support for appropriate data and
meta-data standards;
- services and tools to support the Sector's
various geomatics production processes;
graphical services to display retrieved
data;
- a system that can be extended by adding
new services, further data sources, and
additional users.
- data federations to allow unified views of
data from disparate sources;
- support for third-party value-added
services and tools;
- Canada-wide access to the system via
Wide Area Networks;
- integrated access to data holdings outside
of SMRSS; and
- tools for automatic maintenance and
update of meta-data.
The GII consists of a number of components that
interact via a communications backbone. The
backbone is a set of networks (local, metropolitan
and wide area) that together link the GII
components. Users interact with the GII by means
of client software. They refer to a meta-data
catalogue that describes the data, tools and
services available to them from the GII. Data and
tool sets that are connected to the GII are called
resource holdings. Data federations enable users
to have integrated access to two or more related
resource holdings. They do this by creating
unified views that span resource holdings.
Finally, there is a accounting system that handles
all aspects of user account creation and
management, as well as resource privileges and
quotas, and data security and access control.
The GII works by, as much as possible,
transforming data and services from connected
resource holdings into a common environment
called the common data model. In this way, data
can be more easily integrated, and services that
can operate in this common environment can be
applied to any data within it. The common data
model must support spatial data types and could
226
be based on an existing spatial data exchange
standard such as SAIF or SDTS. The important
point is that it should be rich enough to embrace
most existing spatial data formats.
Data translation is an important aspect of the GII.
Translators are necessary in the servers of
resource holdings to convert data and tools from
the native data model of the holding to the
common data model. Data translation is also
necessary in the client software, where it must be
possible for the GII to export retrieved data in
format suitable for a user's application.
The GII catalogue contains the following
information for navigating and using the GII:
- product and service guides describing the
contents of resource holdings that are
accessible from the GII, including their
geographic extent, price, currency and
quality information;
- production histories and schedules for
products and services;
- examples of available products
(especially raster data such as satellite
radar and optical imagery) to give users
an idea of what they will get should they
order a particular product;
- index maps to allow users to identify for
what areas they want products.
Each resource holding, either on or off-line, has
entries in the catalogue that describe the data, the
holding stores, as well as the tools that are
available to act on the data.
User and Technical Groups
In order to ensure that LINC is properly developed
a number of groups are overseeing it's
development.
The LINC Steering Committee is a management
level committee, consisting of SMRSS
representatives, that is responsible for overseeing
the LINC project. This includes all aspects of
LINC in addition to the development of a Baseline
System.
The LINC User Group consists of members from
across SMRSS (and potentially external users)
representing clients of LINC that are internal and
external to SMRSS. The LINC User Group will
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